


Of Fire Lilies and Appreciations

by kikoulol340



Series: spiritbenders should have taught Aang how to steal Ozai's firebending [3]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Comfort No Hurt, F/M, Fluff, Post-100 Year War (Avatar TV), Reader-Insert, Soft Zuko (Avatar), Turtleduck(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-04
Updated: 2020-12-04
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:42:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27761683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kikoulol340/pseuds/kikoulol340
Summary: Y/N discovers the wonders of spirit bending. Zuko is left in awe.(extra from my fanfiction She Chose Well - can be read separately)
Relationships: Zuko (Avatar)/Reader
Series: spiritbenders should have taught Aang how to steal Ozai's firebending [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2028988
Comments: 3
Kudos: 48





	Of Fire Lilies and Appreciations

Life in the court was… interesting, to say the least. Less than a year in and Y/N had yet to adjust, balancing meetings with court members and helping Zuko with the reforms for the Fire Nation. And while not many may respect her opinion as an outsider to the Fire Nation, she still managed to sneak her own ideologies into the reforms: she was very persuasive, you see, and Zuko was nothing short of putty in her hands.

But whether things went her way or not, life had quickly become _exhausting_.

Her mere existence was a threat to not her life, but Zuko’s too, and the stress that came with that knowledge was heavier than the pressure of carrying on the spirit benders’ legacy.

And though there may have been few escapes from that stress, they existed, and Y/N milked these distractions for all they were worth. The days she wasn’t stuck in meetings or in her office, everyone knew to leave her alone, to leave her to her own devices and let her _breathe_.

The royal gardens were the perfect escape, if anyone cared to ask Y/N.

Her days off came few and far between, and yet Y/N would spend every single one of those days hiding out in the gardens. Even Zuko’s proposals to get out of the palace and have lunch in town were turned down most of the time.

There was a solace to the gardens that Y/N couldn’t quite find elsewhere, a stillness to them that had warmth and comfort seeping into her bones and finding a home there for those few hours. Even the palace servants and her ladies-in-waiting knew not to disturb that comfort, sending her off each morning with lunch and books, smiles on their lips as Y/N bowed to them and released them for the day. The time she had in the gardens felt sacred, strangely enough. So much so that Y/N would more often than not get snappy when she was interrupted.

But, as always, there was an exception to that.

The sun was only an hour, maybe less even, away from setting, and Y/N had, once again, spent the better part of her day off in the gardens. The blades she’d spent hours lounging in were imprinted on her skin, the sandwiches and fire flakes she’d had for lunch weighing heavily in her and spreading a sense of ease through her.

With only her books and the turtleducks to keep her company, Y/N could confidently say it had almost been a perfect day. _Almost_.

Because despite loving the peace she’d found in this haven, she longed to share it with someone. But said someone was stuck in meetings more often than not, and Y/N knew better than to pry him away from his duty; he would come to her when he was done.

And come he did.

Y/N didn’t need to look up to know the approaching footsteps belonged to Zuko. She could feel his energy, could recognize his footsteps, and even if she couldn’t, no one in the palace was bold enough to interrupt with as much ease as Zuko did. It brought a smile to her face, though she didn’t tear her attention away from her book, intent on finishing her chapter. Spirits know she’d never get to it if she didn’t do it now.

“You’re not even going to kiss me ‘hello?’” Zuko teased as he took a seat next to her, his warmth immediately pressing itself against Y/N’s side.

She lifted up a finger in response, shushing him, “Let me finish this before you distract me.”

Zuko chuckled, but complied, leaning forward to kiss Y/N’s temple before waiting patiently for her to finish what she needed to do. And engrossed as Y/N was in her book, the rustling beside her as Zuko occupied himself for the next few minutes was nothing short of distracting. She found herself re-reading the same passage over and over, and with each reading, the meaning of it was only lost to her even more. When Zuko’s moving around did not cease, Y/N let out a sigh, closing her book and turning her head to glare at the source of her distraction.

Any irritation she may have felt vanished when she set her eyes on him.

For the first time in what felt like forever, Zuko wasn’t dressed like a Fire Lord. His hair was out of its topknot, his clothes were casual, and, most importantly, there was a relaxed smile on his face that had Y/N’s head reeling. She couldn’t help but stare at him for what she knew was a second two long, mouth slightly agape.

“You alright?” Zuko asked, quick to notice how intensely she’d been staring at him.

“Peachy,” she replied all too fast, a small blush forming on her face as she averted her eyes, “What’s all this?”

She motioned to the blanket and basket laid out before her, which she’d only taken notice of once her attention was pulled away from Zuko. The boy smiled, opening the basket and revealing to Y/N an array of food, their smells wafting out of the bag and straight to her nose.

“Instead of dragging you back inside for dinner, I figured we could eat out here,” Zuko explained with a murmur, scratching the back of his neck, “You always get so upset whenever you have to leave…”

Y/N let out a small coo, reaching out to cup Zuko’s face, “Thank you. I appreciate it.”

Zuko positively beamed at that, motioning to the food as though beckoning her to help herself. And help herself she did.

The food was as good as it usually was, the same specialities the palace’s cooks would make on special occasions or for special requests. The fact that Zuko would put in such a request brought a smile to Y/N’s face, though she didn’t bring it up to the Fire Lord as they dined. But as good as the food was, it wasn’t anything special. It wasn’t the factor that made _this_ moment special.

It was the way Zuko’s nervous energy depleted the longer they sat out there, simply enjoying their food and each other’s company. And feeling Zuko’s anxiety ease brought Y/N a happiness she could have never fathomed.

“You want to see something new I learned?” Y/N asked him after a beat of silence passed between them, hands wringing together nervously.

Almost instantaneously, Zuko perked up, nodding his head vehemently. And his enthusiasm, childish as it may have seemed, was much appreciated.

With a small chuckled, Y/N pushed herself to her feat, ignoring Zuko’s questioning gaze as her eyes roved over the gardens. A small furrow formed on her brow when she couldn’t find the one thing she needed to show Zuko her new trick, disappointment growing within her with every second that went by and her search was fruitless.

“What are you looking for?” Zuko called, now standing by her side and looking to see what she was staring so intently at, “Did you hide a gift in here for me?”

“No, you dingus,” Y/N laughed, smacking him upside the head, “If I hid a gift from you, you’d never find it here. Too obvious.”

“Then what are you looking for?”

“A flower bud,” Y/N sighed, frown forming on her face, “Any flower would do, but it seems the royal gardens are just too well kept. There’s nothing.”

Zuko let out a small scoff, “Bullshit. You just need to know where to look.”

Pushing past her, Zuko rifled through the bushes, evidently looking for the flower bud Y/N was looking for. And she watched him with more than just mild amusement, sure that the public would _kill_ to see their Fire Lord searching almost maniacally for a flower bud, of all things.

“Aha!” he yelled out, plucking a bud as Y/N had requested, “Fire Lilies. They’re small, so they tend to hide amongst the bigger bushes and flowers in the garden. You’re welcome.”

“Thank you,” Y/N chuckled, taking the bud from his fingers and gingerly kissing his cheek.

She didn’t even have time to appreciate the small blush that spread across Zuko’s face before she was taking her seat back on the floor, holding the bud delicately in the palms of her hand. Across from her, Zuko sat, staring curiously at her as Y/N gave the flower bud all her attention, focusing intently on every part of it, from its stem to its petals to the water running through it. And the more she focused, the stronger its spirit became, and a small smile bloomed across her face as the veins of the bud started glowing a light purple.

In her mind, images of children popped up, each child older than the previous and Y/N got the rare opportunity to watch hundreds of children grow up in her mind, all while she kept her focus on the flower bud’s spirit. Unbeknownst to her, her eyes had fallen shut, and Zuko’s reaction went unknown to her.

She missed the way his eyes sparkled when the flower bud started glowing, the gasp that left his lips as the Fire Lily floated into the air, twirling slowly, as though it was dancing. She missed the wonder in his smile as the flower bloomed, its petals falling open to reveal the Fire Lily, still twirling. She missed the pure adoration in his expression as her focus stayed on the flower’s spirit and Zuko’s stayed on her, so sure that if he listened close enough he could hear the Fire Lily sing and laugh.

And when Y/N opened her eyes, the flower no longer floating as it collapsed in her palms, a breath of relief left her. It had worked. She’d made a flower bloom with nothing but its spirit.

So immersed in her little victory and self-satisfaction, she didn’t see Zuko as he crawled closer to her. It wasn’t until her chin was between his fingers and her lips were on his that she registered just how close he’d gotten in the few seconds her eyes had been open, and they fell shut once again as she leaned into him.

“You amaze me everyday,” he murmured against her lips through kisses, and Y/N could feel his smile against her lips as he spoke, “Every time you do _anything_ , I remember how wonderful you are.”

Her breath stuttered as it tried to escape Y/N, and all she seemed to be able to do was smile at Zuko, “I appreciate you Zuko. I really do.”

“And I appreciate you,” Zuko replied, cupping her face between his hands as he nuzzled their noses together, “For everything that you are and everything that you do, I appreciate you.”

And those three words spoke more volumes than any ‘I love you’ ever could.


End file.
